The case against the former mayor of Magas, who left for the North-Eastern Military District, has been closed.

Former Magas Mayor Usman Aushev, accused of abuse of office, escaped prosecution after leaving for the war zone.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in June, the Ingush Prosecutor's Office sent the criminal case against former Magas Mayor Usman Aushev to court, who is accused of abuse of office. The damages in the final indictment increased to 3.3 million rubles.

A court in Ingushetia has suspended proceedings in the criminal case against Usman Aushev, the former head of the republic's capital, Magas, accused of abuse of office.

"The court suspended proceedings against Aushev due to the fact that he signed a contract and left for duty in a special military operation zone," RIA Novosti quotes a press service employee as saying.

The case file on the Magas District Court website states that hearings were postponed seven times due to Aushev's failure to appear, and on November 14, the case was suspended.

According to the indictment, in January 2023, the mayor of Magas entered into a deal with Zamok-5 LLC on behalf of the city “in the interests of an acquaintance.” The estimates for repair work to replace external power supply networks contained deliberately inflated prices. The article on abuse of office (Part 3 of Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code), under which Aushev was charged, carries a prison sentence of three to ten years.

Usman Aushev was appointed acting mayor of Magas in June 2020, and on February 8, 2021, the city council confirmed him in office. In August 2022, eight administrative cases were opened against the Magas administration for violations of the law on the contract system following tenders for city improvements. Aushev was fined. On February 4, 2023, Aushev filed a resignation from the post of mayor. In October 2022, a petition was published on the website change.org demanding Aushev's resignation.